Sugar Hill Close & Wordsworth Drive, Oulton, Rothwell

The report of the Area Leader provided
background information on the proposals for development at Sugar
Hill Close and Wordsworth Drive Estate in Oulton. Concern to these proposals had been raised by the
local community and the Chair had agreed that this item should be
considered and discussed by the Community Committee.

Martin Dean, Area Leader presented the
report. Victoria Hinchliff Walker,
South Team Leader, Planning Services and Gerard Tinsdale, Head of Housing Management, South and
Inner East Leeds were also in attendance.

It was reported that there were 71 houses on
the estate and there had been a planning application for the
demolition and replacement of these properties. These properties were currently in private
ownership and had previously been under the ownership of British
Coal.

In relation to this, the Council as a whole
had differing roles which included the determination of the
planning application; support from Housing – should tenants
be in need of rehousing; and for elected representatives to listen
to the views of the residents affected and the wider local
community.

The Committee heard From Cindy Readman a local resident of Wordsworth
Drive. She stated there were still 13
families from the ex-mining community who were assured to be given
new tenancies. This left 57 families at
the threat of an 8 week eviction notice, most of those who had
lived there for over 10 years. The
properties proposed under the submitted application would not be
affordable for existing residents and neither would similar
properties elsewhere in the area.

Mrs Readman felt
that the application could be refused due to heritage aspects and
both the 20th Century Society and English Heritage had
shown an interest to support this. The
landlord of the properties had claimed the properties were coming
to the end of their life and it was not affordable to renovate them
but local residents felt that neglect from the landlord had led to
deterioration of the properties.

Further issues highlighted included the
following:

·
The estate had a diverse community including residents from the BEM
and LGBT communities.

·
Most of the residents were employed in low paid jobs and private
sector rents would not be affordable.

·
Housing Leeds had indicated that residents could face waits of up
to 72 weeks for a three bedroom house and that was not guaranteed
to be in this area.

Further to Members comments and questions, the
following was discussed:

·
Similar styles of housing in other parts of Outer South Leeds had
been modified to bring them to a suitable standard.

·
The Planning application could only be judged on material planning
considerations.

·
Councillor Golton informed the meeting of the Council’s
ambition to provide more social housing and that under new powers
could purchase properties to contribute towards this. He also reported that the figures provided
by the current owner to renovate the properties was based on doing
these to the highest possible specification and could be done to a
lower and acceptable specification. He
suggested that the Committee should recommend that the Executive
Member for Communities to consider these options.

·
Councillor Bruce reported that the Executive Member had been
contacted regarding the possibility of purchasing these
properties. She also suggested that the
Committee could submit an objection to the planning
application.

·
Whether the application could be refused for planning reasons
following guidance within the National Planning Policy
Framework.

·
Planning permission was not required to demolish the
properties.

·
There had currently been over 100 objections to the planning
application. These were based on
material planning considerations which included sustainability,
heritage, design and ecology issues.

·
As part of the planning process an equality impact survey had been
sent to all residents with regard to protected characteristics.

·
At this stage it was not possible to assess the priority needs of
tenants for rehousing due to the uncertainty of their
situation. Houses in this area could
take up to three years to become available. Housing outside the area could be provided much
earlier.

·
Councillor Golton submitted a recommendation for the Committee to
contact the Executive Member regarding the purchase and
refurbishment of the properties.

RESOLVED –

1.
That clarification be requested from Housing Leeds with regard to
applications made by residents

2.
That a formal response be sought from Planning following the
equality impact survey

3.
That an objection to the application be submitted to the Chief
Planning Officer on behalf of the Community Committee

4.
That the Executive Member for Communities, Councillor Debra Coupar,
to consider inclusion of the intended purchase and refurbishment of
the seventy homes on the estate as part of the 300 new Council
homes target in the next tranche of proposals, (following those
already approved at the November Executive Board), and for
Councillor Coupar to formally write to the current landowner,
Pemberstone Estates, informing them of
that intent and to invite them to discuss how that purchase may be
achieved.